The 2019 Ford F-150 Raptor Is Updated and as High-Flying and Dirt-Ready As Ever!

Of course, the F-150 Raptor remains eager to jump. Just don't overdo it—the truck has limits, after all.

Drivers without rock-crawling experience will save themselves a few rocker scrapes with this new feature. Activating Trail Control in Rock Crawl mode permits setting the speed in 0.5-mph increments, which provides precise control to place the 34-inch BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO2 tires.

On-road benefits exist, too. Roll-control functionality—which increases the outside dampers' resistance to compression during cornering—is present in Normal and Sport modes but is disabled in the off-road modes (Baja, Rock Crawl, Mud/Sand), where it would create understeer.

The rest of the Raptor's suspension hardware—its upper and lower front control arms and live rear axle—remain the same, retaining the 13.0 inches of front and 13.9 inches of rear travel it has been blessed with since its debut.

Trail Control, however, is a substantial improvement over the now dead hill-descent control, adding the ability to maintain a preset speed while climbing.

Certainly the 2019 Raptor remains wildly capable, at least at modest speeds, rounding off square-edged rocks and breezing over substantial hits that would send standard half-ton trucks home on a flatbed.

Despite the addition of roll control via the dynamic dampers, we measured the same 0.70 g on the skidpad that we've recorded in previous Raptor tests.

But in the environment in which we experienced the truck, none of this makes it obviously better than the passive-damper version it replaces. The Raptor is amply capable on slow-going rock trails, but they certainly aren't its forte.

Ford will ask for an additional $2180 for the 2019 Raptor, bringing the base price for a SuperCrew model to $57,335 (the smaller SuperCab starts at $54,350).